


please empty your pockets of small change and any metal objects

by dorky (dorcas_gustine)



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-10
Updated: 2011-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-20 07:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/210307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorcas_gustine/pseuds/dorky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>He has learnt to lift submarines, but another small- </i>tiny<i> piece of metal is all it takes to bare all his shortcomings to the world.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	please empty your pockets of small change and any metal objects

**Author's Note:**

> Not beated.
> 
> Written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/1stclass_kink/profile)[**1stclass_kink**](http://community.livejournal.com/1stclass_kink/). Prompt at the end of the fic.
> 
>  **WARNING:** Major character death.

He sees it in Moira's widened eyes and in Raven's horrified expression, and he knows in that instant; he _knows_. He has learnt to lift submarines, but another small- _tiny_ piece of metal is all it takes to bare all his shortcomings to the world.

He turns around even though he knows he doesn’t want to see, and Charles is stumbling, a hand closed around his throat and all wide, bewildered eyes.

Raven screams and Charles falls down without a sound.

Erik manages to catch him before he hits his head on the hot sand, but it’s pointless. Blood flows quickly even as his fingers twitch and close around the wound. Erik’s hand goes to cover Charles’ and he pushes down and wills it to stop.

Blood. Blood has an iron content, doesn’t it? He reaches out and tries desperately to call out to it, to command it to stop. Please stop, _damn it_.

Charles is looking up at him, his eyes wide with surprised fear and pain. Erik says his name and then, “no no no.” An endless string of ‘no’s, because Charles isn’t supposed to look like that, Charles doesn’t know- he should have never felt like this, Erik wanted only to protect him-

“Stand back!” He cries, stretching his hand forward, palm out, towards Moira. “ _You_! You did this! Charles-”

Her dog tag chain slithers around her neck like a snake, shiny in the sun, and then it suddenly tightens, cutting off her air. She falls to her knees, and Erik grits his teeth and wills her to die, but at the same time wants her to suffer. He’s just avenged his mother and now _Charles_ -

Charles makes a sound, a bubbling noise, and Erik turns his eyes down to look at him. His lips are forming words, but no sounds come out. Erik has always -privately - thought that there couldn’t be anything redder than Charles’ lips, but now his teeth are stained red and his whole neck and their joined hands are stained a dark crimson - almost black.

Charles moves a hand, feebly, but it barely reaches Erik’s shoulder before falling down on Charles’ chest and resting there. There is purpose in his eyes, though, as he stares into Erik’s own. When they shift for a second, Erik knows.

He curses - himself, fate, the world - and forgets about choking Moira because Charles can’t talk and Erik needs- he needs-

He tosses the helmet away and it rolls a couple of times on the sand before coming to a rest. Charles is suddenly in his mind, around him, flooding back like a dam opening, and Erik gasps at the pain, he can’t breathe and he’s cold, so cold and he can’t feel-

 _Erik!_

Erik pushes down on Charles’ hand pushing down on the wound and he feels the gasp against his fingers, feels it reverberating through his head. With his other hand he cradles Charles closer to him, brushes away his hair and he’s so _pale_ -

 _It wasn’t her._ Charles says, and Erik closes his eyes because he can’t look anymore, he can’t- _It wasn’t her. It was you._

Not even Shaw’s focused explosions of force have hit as hard. Erik physically recoils, and Charles is shaken by the pain and something else that Erik desperately doesn’t want to name, because this is is fault. It’s always been his fault. Erik Lehnsherr can tear through metal as if it was butter, can move giants, but when it comes to tiny pieces of metal that look so harmless, so unassuming in all their smallness-

“I’m sorry,” he says, he thinks.

 _My friend,_ Charles replies, despite everything, despite the blood pooling down under him. _I think I’m not_

And then he's gone from Erik’s mind, and when Erik opens his eyes and calls frantic, Charles is gone. _Gone_. His eyes are blue and staring at the sky and they’re gone, empty and Erik screams and screams and screams and Raven is screaming too as she’s running - stumbling - towards them and the helmet is somehow in his hands again.

Magneto stands up and his mind is shielded again; so quiet and silent.

Erik pretends it’s all thanks to that piece of metal.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Prompt text:** What if instead of paralysing Charles, that bullet killed him instead?  
>  I'd love to see how this would impact Erik. ([Here](http://1stclass-kink.livejournal.com/2292.html?thread=2081268#t2081268)).


End file.
